A party waiting to happen!

How do we manage to cram so much into a year? OK – here’s the plan: we live in one of the best places in the world; we have some of the best food, drink, music and culture on the planet so it would seem downright rude not to celebrate all this with the rest of the human race. This isn’t idle boasting, the evidence speaks for itself: between now and the end of the year HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people will visit the West Highlands and islands. They are coming for the stunning scenery, the history, the Gaelic culture, the music and song. They are coming to celebrate the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous drinks, whisky; to enjoy food produced in some of the clearest waters and least polluted landscapes. Not forgetting the craic either! This is where we live and what we are and if that isn’t worth a festival, then what is? Music is at the heart of Gaelic and we do not just celebrate our own: you will hear classical, rock, jazz, blues and much more here on the west coast and the islands. What you should also remember is that the vast majority of the talent will be home grown. When it comes to food and drink, we have something to show the world: lush pastures filled with dairy herds to give our cheese makers the finest raw ingredients, plus there is the rise of some seriously good local ice cream manufacturers. Our hills and upland pastures are full of sheep and beef cattle being raised as nature intended. Oban is the seafood capital of Scotland. Our whisky distilleries are the stuff of legend. People come from all over the world to visit and they’ve even been known to get married in them. The number of book and film festivals continues to rise, with authors and film lovers coming from all over and heading to the remotest of locations as people enjoy the written word together. And all these events take place in some of the most stunning and unspoiled locations in Europe so it is only right that we throw festivals for the wildlife and countryside – and the dark skies of Coll for star gazers. This festival guide is just the beginning – our guides to all the Highland games and gatherings and agricultural shows will be published in coming weeks. So start planning your festivities.